Monday, November 24, 2014

The 2014 Jane Eyre Read-Along: Week 10, Book Review

This is the week where all participants put up their reviews of this immortal classic! The reviews were originally scheduled for November 21st, but we had to reschedule at the last minute because real life intervened.....

It's been a fascinating time for those of us who have been analyzing and discussing various facets of this novel, which opens new vistas every time a reader dives into it. I'd like to thank, first of all, my co-host, Brian @ Babbling Books, for a GREAT collaboration, with hopes of many more to come!! His insights, hard work, and comments throughout the read-along have helped me to appreciate this novel much more than I already did! I'd also like to especially thank Jim @ The Frugal Chariot for all of his insights and comments! And then, thanks to the rest of you -- those who have actively participated, and those who have commented on the read-along posts -- for your thoughts on this great classic, which have also enriched my understanding of it!

Stay tuned for more classics read-a-longs in the future!

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

Hardcover, 656 pages

Everyman's Library(Everyman Edition, Reprint)

February 8, 2011

(first published 1847)

Classics, Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction,

Literary Fiction, RomanceSource: Purchased from Amazon

Jane Eyre, a penniless
orphan, is engaged as governess at Thornfield Hall by the mysterious Mr.
Rochester. Her integrity and independence are tested to the limit as
their love for each other grows, and the secrets of Mr. Rochester's past
are revealed.

Charlotte Brontë’s novel about the passionate love
between Jane Eyre, a young girl alone in the world, and the rich,
brilliant, domineering Rochester has, ever since its publication in
1847, enthralled every kind of reader, from the most critical and
cultivated to the youngest and most unabashedly romantic. It lives as
one of the great triumphs of storytelling and as a moving affirmation of
the prerogatives of the heart in the face of disappointment and
misfortune.

Jane Eyre has enjoyed huge popularity since first publication, and its success owes much to its exceptional emotional power.

When I first read this great novel, I was about 17, and it was part of a high school English Literature assignment. The story of Jane, a poor orphan at the mercy of her cruel aunt and cousins -- especially John Reed -- immediately captivated me. I got totally immersed in the novel, and I couldn't stop thinking about it even after I had finished it.

Little Jane Eyre eventually became an accomplished teacher, securing a position as governess to the protege of a very wealthy man -- Edward Fairfax Rochester. As the events unfolded, I felt myself being swept up in them, right along with Jane. When she first met Mr. Rochester, and subsequent pages revealed more about him, I fell in love with him just as hard as Jane eventually did.

Their love story is a beautiful one, especially because they are so perfectly matched, in spite of their disparate social stations. Rochester is a man of potent masculine energy, although that energy can be overly dominating at times. Jane, however, is not intimidated by this, as she has quite a strong will of her own. The two of them are also intellectually sharp, and equally passionate. This is quite evident at two points in the novel: in Jane's vehemently emotional declaration to Rochester in the orchard of Thornfield Hall, and in Rochester's pained request that Jane not leave him, precisely as she is about to.My adolescent mind and heart thrilled to all this emotion, all this romantic passion laced with mystery and desperate longing.... Everything about the story totally mesmerized me. This was my first Gothic novel, and I was inevitably pulled in by the air of secrecy and gloom pervading Thornfield Hall.... As the mystery deepened, I felt my attraction to Mr. Rochester grow; I perceived he carried a terrible burden of some type, and, like Jane, I wished to alleviate his emotional pain...

Having just read this novel for the second time, I have a more comprehensive view of it. I now see, more clearly than ever, just how much this novel centers around Jane herself. Most of it is about her growth as a person, her coming into her own, mature power. It's also about her great love for Mr. Rochester, however. In fact, there's a fascinating tension between the two themes of Jane finding her true self, and the pull of a love so wonderful, so all-encompassing, that it almost reaches religious fervor.

Ironically, it is Rochester himself who is actually the catalyst for Jane's inner awakening. He is the one who unintentionally propels her into a quest for her true self. And what is this true self? It is her own Christian conscience, coupled with a sense of her own value as an independent person.

In rejecting Rochester's unconventional proposal, Jane is not only being true to her ideals, but to herself as an autonomous being. The two things go together. As a Christian, she cannot possibly betray her firm moral standards; as a feminist, which she undoubtedly is, she cannot possibly betray her own independence and autonomy in becoming 'a kept woman'.

This is definitely a very complex novel, and thus, should be re-read many times, for each new reading leads to new revelations. This time around, I was surprised to find Rochester to be a much darker character than I had thought him to be during my first reading. I still loved him, but now I saw, more clearly, that his love for Jane was not a totally pure one. In fact, it struck me as bordering on obsession, and yet, it was not altogether selfish, either. After all, he never meant to hurt her; he merely wanted to give her everything her heart desired, to treat her as he felt she deserved to be treated -- as "a peeress of the realm". In the process, he also hoped she would redeem him from his previously depraved life.

Jane was quite right to resist him, not only because of his objectification of her, but also because each person has to find him/herself through an inner quest, and such a quest necessarily involves a higher power. One cannot expect to be 'saved' by another person. For Brontë, only the Christian God can do that. Jane herself repeatedly tells Mr. Rochester to turn to God for solace and comfort.

In spite of my new perspective on Rochester, I was just as caught up in all this as I was during my first reading. I wanted them to end up together just as badly, in spite of seeing the underlying deception, the horrible secret of Thornfield Hall. This is due to the author's great literary skill in crafting these immortal characters. They leap off the page, entering our imaginations with the forcefulness of real people.

The secondary characters are vividly drawn, as well, from the despotically cruel Mrs. Reed and her spoiled, equally cruel children, to the hypocritically self-righteous Mr. Brocklehurst, the gentle, saintly Helen Burns, the sprightly French girl, Adele, the cold, detached, stern St. John Rivers, and his sweet sisters, Diana and Mary. Then there are Bessie, the servant who most sympathized with little Jane, Mrs. Fairfax, the very sweet Miss Temple, and the enigmatic Grace Poole. All are equally memorable in the reader's mind, and all contribute richly to the plot.

There's symbolism everywhere, as well, from the curtains and drapes at Gateshead Hall, with their hints of sanctuary and even entombment, to the old chestnut tree, which presages the lovers' separation, to Jane's eerily predictive nightmares... The Romantic movement was obviously a huge influence on the author, as even the weather in the novel, as well as the vegetation -- or lack thereof -- are bearers of hidden meanings and portents.

The novel has been criticized for certain coincidental events in the plot, but I would say that, in its overall structure, Jane Eyre is very well conceived and carried out. It is masterfully written, in prose that soars and sweeps through field and moor, enchanting the reader with its sonorous cadences. Having said that, I know I need to listen to one of the several audio versions, for this is a novel meant to be read aloud. I would especially like to listen to Mr. Rochester's initial conversations with Jane; they show the reader his rapier wit and keen intelligence, as well as his magnetic personality. Jane's responses, too, tell us much about her personality, as she skillfully spars with him, giving no quarter.

Along with its predominant theme of the pull of love vs. the search for one's true self is the equally important theme of class prejudice. I was delighted to see that Rochester did not approve of this particular vice; he never for a moment considered Jane as being 'beneath' his station, something which a lesser man might have. In contrast to those of his immediate social circle, he had nothing but admiration for Jane. He plainly saw the very sharp contrast between Jane and Blanche Ingram, the solid integrity of the one, and the social superficiality of the other. That Blanche belonged to 'the upper class' meant nothing to him; he rightly saw Jane as much superior.

These gripping, fundamental themes give this novel its enduring power and stature in the minds of its readers, thus making the reading of it a totally unforgettable experience! Thus, we have many, many editions of it in the English language alone, as well as many more in other languages.

In spite of the bittersweet ending -- in my opinion,Brontë was a bit overzealous in achieving Rochester's eventual redemption -- I am happy that, after the storm had passed, she resolved everything to my romantic heart's content! Jane Eyre has always been and will always be my favorite classic of all time, and I know there will be more re-readings for me in the future!

MY RATING:

(from Goodreads)

Charlotte
Brontë was a British novelist, the eldest out of the three famous Brontë
sisters whose novels have become standards of English literature. See
also Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë.

Charlotte
Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six
children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish
Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell.

(from Wikipedia)

She published her best known novel, Jane Eyre, under the pen name Currer Bell.

Charlotte's first manuscript, The Professor, did not secure a
publisher, although she was heartened by an encouraging response from
Smith, Elder & Co. of Cornhill, who expressed an interest in any
longer works Currer Bell might wish to send.Charlotte responded by finishing and sending a second manuscript in August, 1847. Six weeks later Jane Eyre: An Autobiography
was published. It tells the story of a plain governess, Jane, who,
after difficulties in her early life, falls in love with her employer,
Mr Rochester.

Oh, this is my FAVORITE classic!!!!! I LOVE it!! It's a GREAT masterpiece, and I know I'll be reading it many more times in the future! There's just SO much in it, you have no idea! I highly recommend it to you!!

You managed to really dg into the complex nature of several aspects of this book, most particularly that of the relationship between Jane and Rochester. As I was looking into some of the basic symbolism behind that relationship I tended to oversimplify it.

The point that Jane needed to protect her own autonomy from Rochester's overwhelming influence is really important. In the context society she lived in she lived in she most definitely embodies feminist ideals.

Rochester's actions were also so complex, as you mention he was obsessive. Yet he genuinely loved and respected Jane, who was indeed his match intellectually and psychologically.

Thanks again for your kind words and thanks for all hat you have contributed, It has been a great read along and I really look forward to doing this again!

Thanks for the compliment!! I had to tweak this review several times, until I had it just the way I wanted it. As you've stated, this is a very complex novel, and, of course, the relationship between Jane and Rochester is one of those complex factors.

Jane was indeed a revolutionary character for her time! Not even Austen's Elizabeth Bennet can compare, although, she, too, is a feminist, in her own way. But still, Jane Eyre is the quintessential feminist, not only for her times, but, I think, for ours, as well. She definitely had to "protect her own autonomy from Rochester's overwhelming influence"! It's indeed admirable that, given the time period, she was able to do that. But then, I guess it was easier for her precisely because she was an orphan, and accustomed to fending for herself in the world. I really should have mentioned that in the review.

Yes, Rochester's actions were also complex. In the middle of his obsession -- for he looked upon Jane, a human being, as his 'savior' -- he did love and respect her. Paradoxically, his intentions were good; since she was an orphan, and had lived in poverty, he wanted to compensate for that. But it was too much, too soon. It's as if you spread a banquet before a starving person -- they wouldn't be able to handle it! But yes, they were indeed matched, in all the important ways.

You're very welcome for my compliments regarding your own review, which I greatly enjoyed reading! You're very welcome as well for my co-hosting of this read-along! It was indeed a great experience, and I, too, look forward to doing another read-along in the near future!